Updated: Pennsylvania law enforcement raids Philly beer pubs

The Philadelphia Daily News reports that Pennsylvania State Police confiscated several thousand dollars worth of beer from three popular Philadelphia bars.

Even though all taxes had been paid on the beer and it was legally purchased from licensed distributors, the article says, “police claimed that nobody had registered the precise names of the beers with the state Liquor Control Board.”

Among the beers sought during March 4 raids was Pliny the Younger, which Beer Advocate recently named the No. 1 beer in the world. The owner of Russian River Brewing in California, maker of the limited-run Pliny the Younger, said in an e-mail to the Daily News that he forgot to register the name with Pennsylvania authorities.

“We are a small mom and pop brewery and every once in a while something slips through the cracks,” he wrote.

According to the Daily New, however, the dozen small kegs of the beer that were shipped to the bars last month were tapped within hours.

UPDATED: An Associated Press story reports that after reviewing the list of “unregistered” beer, some have been returned to the bar owners, who blame the incident on typographical errors and antiquated Pennsylvania liquor laws.